12.02.08
Tuesday Headlines: Water Main Break Causes Power Outage in Flint, Michigan
More than 1,500 customers in Genesee County, Michigan were still without power Monday afternoon after water main break in downtown Flint. The water main break also shut down a road and closed some businesses. Cold weather is being blamed for the break.
Headlines
In Kentucky, Jeffersonville Mayor Tom Galligan took control of the city’s sewer system yesterday, dismissing the private contractor that had been running it since 1994. Approximately 10 more workers will be added to improve cleaning and maintenance of sewer lines and boost the system’s performance.
The Valdosta, Georgia area suffered two wastewater spills over the weekend resulting from heavy rainfall. Approximately 6.5 million gallons of untreated wastewater was released in the first incident, and a discharge of approximately 135,000 gallons of raw sewage was released in the second incident.
Because of a sewage spill, people are being encouraged to temporarily stay away from a ravine in Thousand Oaks, California. A root blockage in a sewer line led to the release of about 2,100 gallons of sewage from a manhole cover.
Tucson Water workers expect to fix a University of Arizona area water main break some time Tuesday. The break in in the 8-inch water main has disrupted traffic but should be repaired today.
Sewer Rate News
Birdsboro, Pennsylvania
Northport, Alabama
Westminster, Maryland
11.17.08
Monday Headlines: Water Main Break Leads to Boil Alert in Suburban DC
Although service has been restored following a water main break on Saturday in Largo, Maryland, residents remain under a boil water advisory. The break also affected traffic for fans traveling to the game last night between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins. The advisory involves homes in a 39-square-mile area in central Prince George’s County, as well as several schools and and government buildings.
Headlines
An above-ground pipe spewed at least 100,000 gallons of raw sewage Saturday in Vista, California. The sewage spilled near the on-ramp of state Route 78 on Saturday. The age of the pipe is believed to be the cause of the spill.
In Maui, Cove Park was closed on Thursday after a blockage at a wastewater pump station Thursday led to an overflow of about 1,200 gallons of untreated sewage from a manhole cover.
A water main break slowed traffic this morning on a state highway outside of Scranton, Pennsylvania in Dickson City.
Schools are closed in Beacon Falls, Connecticut today because of a water main break.
Crash investigators in Kansas City, Missouri said a water main break may have caused an accident on Interstate 35 Sunday morning. Police said water from the break froze over the highway and a car and truck slid into each other on the slippery surface.
In the ongoing situation with Jefferson County, Alabama and its sewer debt, a federal judge will hold a hearing Monday morning to determine whether bond insurers are entitled to have Jefferson County’s troubled sewer system placed under the control of a receiver who can manage the sewer system. The county is in danger of defaulting on it $3.2 billion sewer debt.
Sewer Rate News
Burlington, New Jersey
Williams, Oregon
10.31.08
Friday Headlines: Investigative Report Looks at Indianapolis Sewer System
Indianapolis TV station WTHR has done an investigation into the amount of untreated sewage entering Marion County’s waterways. As you might imagine the report raises questions and concerns regarding how to get the problem under control. And if you were wondering whether federal funding is needed for cities like Indianapolis here is this quote from the story.
To pay for the deep tunnels and other improvements that will help reduce Indianapolis’ combined sewer overflows, the cost is an estimated $3.5 billion.
For Marion County residents, it means the average $15 sewer portion of a current water bill is expected to jump to $100 each month.
And here’s an eye opening statistic.
All together, about 40 billion gallons of combined sewer overflow are dumped into Indiana waterways each year.
10.16.08
Thursday Headlines: Funding Needed for Washington, DC Sewage Plan
This Washington Post story is a couple of weeks old but is emblematic of the problem throughout the country. Water and sewer bills in the Nation’s capital will increase dramatically if the federal government does not bear the burden of a $2.2 billion sewage management plan mandated to reduce pollution of the region’s waterways. The project is required to meet the city’s obligations under the Clean Water Act.
Headlines
Scientific American takes a look at Milwaukee’s sewer system. Since 1994, a 26-mile deep water tunnel has been keeping Milwaukee’s sewage from spilling into Lake Michigan. The deep water tunnel is just one part of a $3-billion water pollution initiative that has also upgraded 400 miles of sewer infrastructure in Milwaukee and surrounding communities.
Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle has released $3.3 million for two state revolving funds, including $1,655,000 for the Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund and $1,671,000 for the Drinking Water Treatment Revolving Loan Fund.
A projected 100 percent to 125 percent increase in fees for sanitary sewer service and stormwater management caused concern among residents attending the city of Neenah, Wisconsin’s sixth annual town meeting.
Raw sewage is no longer flowing into the Shenango River from a Mercer County, Pennsylvania pump station. For several days, a broken line was dumping as much as 500,000 gallons of untreated waste into the river.
Sewer Rate News
Homer, Alaska
Muscle Shoals, Alabama
10.14.08
Tuesday Headlines: As Funding Decreases Tennessee’s Needs Grow
There is a growing gap between badly needed improvements to Tennessee’s water and wastewater infrastructure and the funding to complete those projects, according to a recent study conducted by the Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance.
According to the Tennessee Advisory Committee on Intergovernmental Relations, the cost of 1,773 needed water system improvement projects increased by $349 million between 2004 and 2005 to a total of $3.3 billion. The report also points out, available funding for such projects is dropping. State revolving funds have dropped by 33 percent between 2004 and 2006 and federal funding has dropped by nearly 79 percent since 1980.
Headlines
Some Jersey City residents are advised to boil their water after a break in a 30-inch water main early Tuesday morning. Residents in the affected area can expect lower than normal water pressure or even no water in high rise buildings. Repairs are expected to take most of the day.
A water main break in Robbins, Illinois forced three schools to close Tuesday morning. Robbins police say the water main erupted Monday night. They expect to have water restored Tuesday afternoon.
It is unclear if a Rite Aid in Yakima, Washington will reopen today after a water main ruptured twice outside the store on Monday. Officials noted that between 25,000 and 30,000 gallons of water was lost during the first break.
A broken water main under Grand Avenue in Wausau, Wisconsin forced the closure of the northbound lane this morning.
Sewer Rate News
Ambridge, Pennsylvania
DuBois, Pennsylvania
Oakwood, Illinois
Prichard, Alabama
Woodstock, Ohio
09.26.08
Friday Headlines: Despite Improvements Port Huron Struggles with CSOs
Despite making significant improvements and spending $135 million since 1988 on separating its combined sewer system, Port Huron, Michigan still ranks in the top five in the state for volume of combined sewer overflows. Last year, Port Huron accounted for 2.3% of the 13.575 billion gallons of untreated storm water and sewage released in the state of Michigan.
Headlines
In Texas, Fort Hood officials have confirmed the cleanup of about 168,000 gallons of spilled sewage, which they believe did not contaminate bodies of water. Public works inspectors have determined a fracture in the main distribution pipe allowed the sewage to escape from the facility.
Neighborhoods in Houston, Texas are experiencing problems with sewage spills as the city’s Public Works Department tries to get all lift stations operating again. Every sewage lift pump was affected by Hurricane Ike in some way and even municipal utility districts suffered issues with the power outages at lift pump stations that control wastewater.
Long Beach, California made a slight improvement from last year but still had the worst water quality in the state “by far” because the Los Angeles River pours into the city’s waters, according to a new report released by Heal the Bay.
Lawyers for Alabama’s Jefferson County and bond insurers were set to battle on Friday over an emergency request to give control of the county’s heavily indebted sewer system to a court receiver. Jefferson County is negotiating with Wall Street creditors against a Tuesday deadline on restructuring $3.2 billion of troubled sewer-system debt.
Sewer Rate News
Anchorage, Alaska
Glendale, Arizona
09.25.08
Thursday Headlines: Pipe Break Leads to 25 Foot Sinkhole in West Chester, Penn.
A 12-foot-deep sinkhole opened up in West Chester, Pennsylvania on Wednesday after a broken stormwater main caused saturated soils to collapse. Workers with the borough’s Public Works Department called in a pipeline construction company to handle the emergency after the sinkhole expanded to 25 feet long by 12 feet across.
Headlines
In Maryland, Anne Arundel County health officials have ordered Bear Neck Creek in Edgewater closed and warn against direct contact with the water. The closure was ordered because of a wastewater overflow Wednesday in a nearby sewer collection system.
Michigan’s environmental chief warned the Detroit City Council on Wednesday that continued delays in approving a $600-million tunnel system to store sewage and storm runoff during heavy rain could cost ratepayers an extra $100 million in interest on construction bonds and put the city in violation of its water pollution permit.
Roughly 21,000 gallons of sewage spilled into Pinehurst Lake on Tuesday after a force main broke in Carthage, North Carolina.
Crews in Colorado Springs, Colorado are working to divert the water in Sand Creek away from a bank that has been badly eroded by recent storms, coming dangerously close to exposing a sewage pipe. Since 2000, Colorado Springs Utilities has spent $100 million dollars on their wastewater collection system.
Sewer Rate News
Camp Verde, Arizona
Colfax, California
Shafer, Minnesota
Sheffield, Alabama
09.17.08
Wednesday Headlines: Water Main Break Floods a Children’s Hospital
The Considine Professional Building at Akron Children’s Hospital has regained electricity and phones after being flooded Tuesday due to a water main break. Damage to information systems and elevators in the Considine building are still being assessed but patient appointments for today in the Considine building have been cancelled.
Headlines
Heavy rains over the weekend in Richland, Michigan caused about 81,000 gallons of water to overflow into the 5-acre, privately owned wetlands. A contributing factor to the overflow, was the water coming into the system through pick holes in manhole covers.
The city of Pontiac, Illinois will submit a long-term control plan to the Illinois EPA to reduce the number of combined sewer overflows, with sewer-rehabilitation work planned for 2010-11, then a two-year monitoring period to see if more measures are needed. Needed improvements to reduce overflow events is estimated to cost $2.86 million.
Imagine waiting a year to fix a sinkhole from water main break. That is exactly what has happened for a community in Ottumwa, Iowa whose long wait will soon be over.
Two New York bond insurers sued Jefferson County, Alabama yesterday, asking that a federal judge appoint a receiver to manage the sewer system, raise rates and take other steps to increase revenues to pay the county’s $3.2 billion sewer debt.
Sewer Rate News
Reminderville, Ohio
Rome, Georgia
09.09.08
Tuesday Headlines: Hanna Causes Sewer Overflows in N.C. Community
Tropical Storm Hanna’s heavy rains, measured at 6.08 inches in Dunn, North Carolina, caused wastewater to overflow in three places, spilling the untreated water into waterways. Sewage spills has long been an issue in Dunn with the town ranking in the state’s top 10 for the problem.
Headlines
The decision of the City Council in Holyoke, Massachusetts not to raise sewer rates will likely result in taxpayers footing the bill for any additional related sewer costs. The increase is needed to help pay off $6 million in debt for a sewage treatment plant and $3 million for a combined sewer overflow abatement project.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation after originally saying repairs to a major street in Columbia, South Carolina would be finished by Saturday are still working on the repairs. Authorities blame a collapsed storm drain as the cause of the sinkhole.
The state of Michigan has threatened Harrisburg Township with penalties for not meeting limits on phosphorus and other substances in the discharge. The improvements required by the state will cost millions of dollars and is forcing the township to increase its sewer rates.
A water main break flooded a residential street in Castaic, California this morning, causing the street to buckle and leaving residents in some 60 homes without access to the roadway.
Sewer Rate News
Branson, Missouri
Riviera, Alabama
09.05.08
Friday Headlines: State Bailout is Latest Plan in a County’s Sewer Debt Crisis
A bailout plan by Alabama Governor Bob Riley to help Jefferson County avoid bankruptcy would limit annual rate hikes for customers to 2.85 percent. Since 1996, county sewer customers have seen their bills increase 329 percent. The plan calls for paying the banks everything they are owed but at lower interest rates. If the banks don’t agree to the proposal, the county will likely file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy.
Jefferson County has $3.2 billion in sewer debt it can’t fully pay. If the county opts for bankruptcy, it would be the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, easily surpassing the previous high of $1.6 billion set by Orange County, California in 1994.
Headlines
Leaders in Brownsburg, Indiana still lack answers for sewer problems that have plagued about 400 homeowners north of the town for more than five years. The town received a $3 million construction bid in June to extend sewers into the neighborhoods and is now working on a rate study to give those homeowners options on how to pay for the project.
The Common Council of Appleton, Wisconsin on Wednesday voted 14-2 to accept a consultant’s study recommending $11 million in improvements at the city’s water treatment plant. The study also includes a memo from the state Department of Natural Resources suggesting an additional $3 million in improvements to meet current and future environmental regulations.
Yesterday Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) co-hosted with Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson (R) a transportation and infrastructure discussion with about 40 local leaders in Boise. “What is underground is in worse shape than the bridges,” said Blumenauer. “72,000 miles of the nation’s water and sewer pipes are over 80 years of age, dating back to (President Calvin) Coolidge.”
Sewer Rate News
McCook, Nebraska
Netarts, Oregon
